FDOT meeting held Thursday on Hart/Talleyrand Expressway changes

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - In less than a year, crews will start tearing down the Hart Bridge access ramps in and out of downtown Jacksonville.

The city is moving forward with a $39 million project to take down part of the elevated road near TIAA Bank Field and Metro Park. The plan is to create a four-lane ground level road with a new intersection and raised medians. It will also include a bike and pedestrian path.

According to city documents, crews will build a ramp coming off the Hart Bridge down to Gator Bowl Boulevard. A second ramp will be built down the road near A. Philip Randolph Boulevard for drivers to then access the existing elevated road and continue into parts of downtown.

City officials said the goal is to improve access to downtown and create a better view of the St. Johns River. Some resident’s told News4Jax, they think the change will be good for the city but others like Dennis Ford disagreed.

“I think it is a joke. I absolutely cannot believe that they are going to do that,” Ford said. “It is going to complicate getting into downtown.”

Changing the Hart Bridge ramps has been in the works for several years. Mayor Lenny Curry has been pushing for it in hopes of future redevelopment of the Shipyards.

Construction is slated to start in early 2020.

FDOT and the City of Jacksonville invited the public to an open house meeting Thursday to learn more about the project. It was held from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the FDOT Urban Office Training Center, 2198 Edison Avenue.